Hockey Delayed Penalties and Extra Attackers
When an NHL referee signals a penalty against the team without puck control, play continues until that team gains control or another stoppage occurs. The non-offending team often replaces its goalkeeper with an extra skater because the whistle should follow opposing control, but its net is empty. A goal can erase a…
Timeline
- 2026-09-28: NHL published 2026–27 rule and enforcement materials for the new season.
- 2026-10-12: The current NHL rulebook, FAQ and delayed-penalty provisions were rechecked.
In common hockey language, a delayed penalty is the raised-arm interval after the referee sees an infraction by the team that does not control the puck. Under NHL Rule 15.1, play continues until the team to be penalized gains control, when the whistle stops play and the penalty is assessed. If the offending side controlled the puck when committing the infraction, the referee normally stops play immediately instead of waiting. [1][2]
The non-offending team often sends its goalkeeper to the bench and substitutes another skater. That creates six attackers against five skaters while the penalty call is pending; it is not yet an official power play because nobody has begun serving the new penalty. Coaches accept the empty net because opposing control should trigger a whistle before that team can make a normal shot, but a bad pass or deflection by the attacking team can still enter its own goal. [1][3]
Control is more than every touch. A defending player can deflect or momentarily contact the puck without necessarily creating the controlled possession that ends the sequence; the referee judges when the team to be penalized has control. Play can also stop for another ordinary reason. The delayed signal does not grant the attacking team immunity from committing its own foul, going offside or causing the puck to leave play. [1]
If the non-offending side scores during the delay and the pending penalty is a single minor, the basic NHL rule is that the goal counts and that minor is not imposed. The familiar phrase “the goal wipes out the penalty” describes only that case. A major or match penalty is still assessed. For specified double-minor offenses, a goal reduces what is served rather than eliminating the entire consequence. Multiple pending minors also require the rule’s selection procedure. [1]
An already-short-handed situation works differently. If a further minor is signaled against the short-handed team and the opponent scores before the whistle, the signaled penalty is assessed and the first eligible minor already being served terminates under the minor-penalty rule. That prevents a team from escaping both the existing disadvantage and the new foul through one goal. The exact result depends on which penalties are on the clock and their classifications. [1]
Pulling the goalkeeper adds risk. An own goal by the non-offending team can count for the team awaiting the penalty, and the current NHL rules contain special overtime consequences. Certain infractions against an attacker facing an empty net can produce an awarded goal under Rule 25. These unusual cases explain why “the other team cannot score” is a practical expectation about control and whistle timing rather than an absolute rule. [1][3]
The rulebook also uses “delayed penalties” in Rule 26 for a different situation: when a third player is penalized while two teammates are already serving penalties. The third player goes to the box, but that penalty time waits to begin so the team does not skate below the minimum strength. This penalty-queue mechanism is distinct from the raised-arm delayed calling of a penalty, although broadcasts may use the same short phrase for both. [1][4]
To read the play, identify which team controlled the puck when the arm went up, watch for the offending team to regain control, and note whether the goalie leaves for an extra skater. After a goal or whistle, check the announced penalty type and the penalties already being served before deciding what disappears from the clock. NHL, IIHF, collegiate and youth rulebooks can differ, so the governing competition and season should always be named. [1][2][3][4]
Sources
- National Hockey League — 2026–27 Official Rules
- National Hockey League — Frequently Asked Questions and Current Official Rules Link
- National Hockey League — Official Rules, Rule 25: Awarded Goals
- National Hockey League — Official Rules, Rule 26: Delayed Penalties